Need help making the jump

[Bhavesh Lakhani]

Hi,

I'm a lifelong vegetarian, as is my whole family, but I personally wish to take the jump into veganism. i did actually do it for around 6 months a few years back, but wasn't strong enough to pull through and now I'm just trying to be better prepared.

In terms of my current non vegan food sources, it is really only cheese. I don't use butter/margerine, and I already use Alpro Almond and/or Hazlenut milk, with the odd bottle of soya every now and then.

I'm indian, so most of what we eat is already vegan anyway, so meals themselves are not hard.

I just have major weakness for Paneer (indian type of cheese) and Pizza.

Last time I tried all the vegan cheeses i could get my hands on in the UK, but they all tasted a bit rubbish.

From experience, what do you guys do to get off cheese? Is there a better alternative these days in the UK?


Thanks in advance,

Bhavesh

 

[Josie]

Someone else will be of better help to you, I'm sure, because I haven't tasted a non-dairy cheese I like yet. I was a cheese addict and pizza was also one of my biggest hurdles. I couldn't bear to look at cheese anymore once I saw the conditions it came from so it was a cold turkey situation for me. I jumped into veganism and committed to working out the kinks as I went along, because the animals and my health were more important than a few ingredients I didn't know how to cook without yet.

In retrospect, it's all about getting past the addiction to it. I tried desperately to replace it and I haven't yet, BUT in the process I got over it and found I don't need it at all for anything I used to use it on. Even pizza. So my addition to this thread is to just go without and find a way around it. Cheese is usually a cover anyway.. I am now able to appreciate all the flavours of foods without it. Once I finally do find a "cheese" I like, it won't be nearly as used as the dairy variety I used to eat.

Good luck

 

[Gettinggreener]

Cheese and pizza is my issue too.

I've been getting dominos pizzas without the Cheese. go for make your own and take off the cheese and pack with veg. Its weird if you have alot of sauce and herbs you kinda don't really notice the cheese isn't there. almost like the cheese on a pizza doesn't really taste of anything. Besides i'm getting a full pizza for probably half the calories

 

[Carol]

So it's probably no good in the form of pizza or melted cheese, but I've found Sheese cream cheese is actually really good for on crackers and such. I tried it before I was vegan and like it enough to buy more. As for standard vegan cheese though, I don't really like it so I just make my own pizza without and have gravy on jacket potatoes instead of cheese.